Download Bradley admits he was initially critical about whether the Black Lives

Illinois Issues: Black Lives Matter — More Than A Hashtag
Stefan Bradley teaches history at St. Louis University with a focus on the role black students
have played in bringing about societal change. He says he saw bias in some coverage of protests.
“Early on in the Ferguson crisis the way that the activists were portrayed I think was slanted.” He
says the majority of images he saw in the news were of the rioting — not the grandparents,
students, ministers, and community members protesting peacefully. Some activists and members
of alternative news organizations would live-broadcast what was happening in the streets, and
show that at times, police were throwing tear gas at peaceful protestors in efforts to get them to
disperse.
Bradley, who took his own students out in the streets, says social media was helpful in telling
people which places were safe. It also helped spread messages about what was happening
without time for spin. “What we found is that these African Americans, who have been telling
these stories about police abuse of power, haven’t always been lying — haven’t always been
telling tales.” He says social media has given activists power over their own stories, and it is
becoming as significant as television was for civil rights activists in the ‘60s — when images of
them being beaten were broadcast. “This is going to be exciting for scholars in the future — to
take a look at how people in real time felt about situations in ways that weren’t as filtered. Social
media has been an incredible mechanism in terms of activism.”
Bradley admits he was initially critical about whether the Black Lives Matter movement would
be sustainable. He questioned the ability of young activists to work collaboratively. “In working
in a university setting, I didn’t have much faith in the idea that young people could move as a
collective unit because of the sheer narcissism that I observe on campus.” But he says the
philosophical power of the movement is clear. “This idea that black lives matter resonates with
an incredibly wide demographic of people, who are not necessarily part of any chapter ... This is
something that hits home with people who would not necessarily be part of a movement at all. So
that allows people in the ministry, people who are professionals, to pick up a mantra and apply it
to their institutions, and this is an important step.”
Listen to an interview with Stefan Bradley, a professor at St. Louis University who researches
the history of activism by black college students.
Bradley says going forward, he thinks the movement has the potential to sustain itself. “One of
the things that I think the movement is doing at this point is evolving. There is a point ... where
movements have to go from protest to policy. That’s the hard turn.”
Stefan says Black Lives Matter is clearly headed in that direction, and at this point activists are
maintaining their passion and momentum. If the changes already taking place on the heels of the
work by activists in cities like Champaign and Chicago are any indication, those in the Black
Lives Matter already have numerous successes to point to. Says Bradley: “If I had a crystal ball,
I’d say you’ll see policies changing in the next three years that will bring us closer to the justice
that the nation deserves.”